The petition raises concerns about the potential lethality risks and environmental impacts associated with pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles (SUVs). It asks the Minister of Transport whether the department has come up with a strategy or action plan to address the greater lethality of these vehicles relative to regular cars in crashes.
The petition references the proposed U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 228, Pedestrian Head Protection, which seeks to minimize the risk of serious-to-fatal pedestrian injuries from new passenger vehicles weighing up to 4,536 kilograms, and it notes that this standard is likely to benefit cyclists. It asks the Minister of Transport whether the Government of Canada plans to develop a similar proposal.
The petition asks the Minister of Environment and Climate Change whether the Government of Canada recognizes that the growing share of light trucks undermines government efforts to reduce GHG emissions and whether it has come up with a strategy to address the greater impacts of these vehicles on the climate relative to cars.
To address these concerns, the petitioner requests that
- the Government of Canada adopt the United Nations’ Global Technical Regulation No. 9: Pedestrian Safety to potentially ensure that safety standards are harmonized across the United States and Canada to protect pedestrians and cyclists
- the government provide transparency on the dangers of pickup trucks and SUVs through advertisement warnings
- the noted ministers demonstrate leadership by adopting measures that align with emerging international standards aimed at protecting vulnerable road users while meeting Canada’s GHG emission
reduction commitments